A proposal by leaders at New Life Church to let homeless people park overnight in the church’s lot drew a crowd of concerned neighbors — and a few supporters — last week.

Around 35 people clustered around an outdoor pavilion at the church last Thursday evening to comment on the “safe parking” plan pitched by Pastors Bill Wolfe and Melannie Jackson.

A few days previous, fliers circulated through the surrounding neighborhood informing those nearby of the church’s desire to provide nightly parking for those living out of their vehicles. While an initial response to Jackson included a threat about calling the FBI, the two pastors went into the meeting optimistically.

Three additional documents were provided before the informal talk. Olympic Community Action Programs provided a glossy double-sided handout listing their services, while New Life handed out an agenda and information sheet detailing safe parking and providing contact information.

The details are simple. The proposal says no more than five vehicles will be allowed to start. There would also be a code of conduct, security measures, and a ban on drugs, weapons and alcohol. The document also noted prospects for networking with other social agencies, and emphasized the temporary, transitional nature of the safe parking program.

From a podium, Wolfe told the crowd that the same reason they would allow safe parking on church property was the same reason that the church offers free food distribution and a benevolence fund.

“We want to love and serve our community without a hook in it,” he said, referring to a no-strings-attached approach.

“We are at our best when we love and serve one another,” Wolfe added.

COMMUNITY SUPPORT

Representatives from numerous other agencies were present to show their support of the project. Cherish Cronmiller, executive director of OlyCAP, shared her support for the project. She shared that faith-based organizations generally have more latitude with providing services and shelter to their communities.

Cronmiller said along with multiple working-class people unable to find housing, there is at least one family with a child living out of a vehicle in Port Townsend.

“I want to be a voice to help alleviate fears or concerns,” she said, and added that if every church in Port Townsend were to help just a single homeless person, it would make a major impact.

Housing Solutions Network staff member Kellen Lynch voiced his admiration of how quickly New Life was progressing to safe parking stays, and encouraged any curious folks to look up the network’s website.

Mike Schleckser, case manger for Bayside Housing and Services, said community members have the choice to push others deeper into trouble or help them rise up.

Josh Atchison, community services officer for the  Port Townsend Police Department, also noted he had worked in social services for 16 years before signing on as a law enforcement officer. He experienced intermittent homelessness as a child, and said that his position was to provide professional perspective.

As a microphone was placed at the end of a block of folding chairs filled with seated listeners, Wolfe asked people to “Keep comments respectful and aimed at issues, not persons.”

Volunteer Judy Alexander, who has been working with New Life, noted the self-governing aspect of communities like Peter’s Place in Port Hadlock.

However, neighbors surrounding the proposed location at 1636 Hasting Ave. seemed overwhelmingly concerned.

A QUESTION OF SAFETY

Dan Harbin has a wife and two young children and has lived in the neighborhood for 22 years.

“We’re used to a certain ambiance,” he said. “The question is how it will affect the community.”   

Next at the microphone was Kelly Clouse, a self-described fierce advocate for affordable housing in Port Townsend. She once found herself homeless for almost two years and living out of her vehicle, and added that had safe parking programs been around at that point, she would likely have taken advantage of them.

However, armed with a sheaf of annotated papers flagged with multi-colored sticky notes, Clouse proceeded to veer from the conversation at hand into asking about an RV already parked on New Life’s property.

“I’m the neighbor that borders the church,” she said. “We live here; you work here a few days a week.”

She raised concerns about how and why the RV came to be on church premises, and alleged that New Life had not been honest with her. She also claimed that New Life was citing an older version of state law that allows churches to implement efforts such as safe parking programs.

Wolfe responded that a couple had asked for help last fall, and had been living there intermittently since, outside of any safe parking.

Clouse was not easily dissuaded. She claimed there had been a lack of transparency from the church about the RV, and wondered aloud if she could trust New Life to be honest with the safe parking project going forward.

“You folks have decided to do this on your own,” Randy Kraxberger said. “It’s hard to trust that this is going to be managed well.”

Kraxberger stressed that he’d lived in the area before the church existed.

His main concern was that “someone else might like what we have better than we do.”

Marcia Atwood, manager of the Food Co-op, also lives in the neighborhood behind the church, and her voice was full of emotion as she spoke.

“I deal with a lot of people with mental illness,” she said. “As neighbors, we can’t deal with that.”

Regardless, Clouse continued to interrupt and interject her opinions over and into the statements of other commenters, even when asked to remain on-topic.

FINDING A WAY FORWARD

One woman, who did not introduce herself, kept pulling down her mask to inject comments, asking why the church didn’t just let people stay indoors because of the large size of the building.

Both pastors said that option had been considered.

Wolfe and Jackson closed the meeting by stating there would be a followup gathering, and that a sign-up sheet for email contact would be available after the meeting.

Following the meeting, Wolfe expressed gratitude for the support of city agencies.

The next step is presenting feedback from the neighborhood at the next church board meeting.

Overall, the pastor feels a growing motivation to move toward success stories for people’s lives, at whatever scale.

“I thought we accomplished what we needed to do, to be there and listen to concerns with respect and dignity,” he said.